City of Toronto and Statistics Canada promote 2006 Census at City Hall - Mayor David Miller proclaims May 16, 2006 as Census Day

The City of Toronto and Statistics Canada hosted a day-long Census Help Centre in the City Hall Rotunda today to help promote the 2006 Census to Toronto residents. The City of Toronto partnered with Statistics Canada to raise awareness about the importance of the 2006 Census data and encourage participation by Toronto residents.

Statistics Canada estimates that 250,000 people from the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area were missed in the 2001 Census. This figure represents half of the people missed in Ontario and a quarter of all people missed in Canada. A post-census follow-up study indicated that those who spoke a non-official mother tongue were three times more likely to not return their census forms compared to those whose mother tongue was English or French. Many of the people missed are believed to be residents of Toronto.

Accurate statistics are important for Toronto to determine the needs of the various communities in the city and directly affect the services and programs that will be delivered in those areas.

“Toronto’s population is growing fast, and the diversity of our residents with it,” said Mayor David Miller, who officially proclaimed May 16, 2006 as Census Day today. “Residents need to know that poor participation rates mean we aren’t accurately telling Toronto’s story - about our diversity and our communities. This information is important for the City of Toronto to plan public services and programs that better reflect the needs of our various communities, and the changing needs of our city.” At the 2006 Census launch, Mayor Miller stressed that every Toronto resident counts and encouraged all residents to fill out their census forms. “Together, we can count Toronto in.”

The event also included a presentation by Doug Newson, Director, Statistics Canada, Central Region about Toronto and the 2006 Census.

“The census provides a statistical snapshot of our country and its people at a single point of time,” said Newson. “It is very important for everyone to complete their census form as the data is used for planning and policy initiatives. Census data impacts everyone everywhere. The data is used to determine the programs and services in local communities, everything from where to put a day-care centre to where services are required for the elderly.” Newson also emphasized the importance of including everyone in a household. “I would like to encourage everyone in Toronto to count themselves in. Please remember to count every single person in the household.”

New for 2006, census questionnaires can be completed online. Visit http://www.census2006.com for more information about the census or how to complete your census questionnaire online. Help is available in 46 languages by calling the Census Help Line at 1-877-594-2006. Residents can also call the Census Help Line if their household did not receive a census questionnaire.